At 17, Bud Hillerich was a lazy boy. One summer’s afternoon in 1884 he skipped work to watch his team, the Louisville Eclipse, play. Star batter, Pete Browning, also known as “The Louisville Slugger,” was in a batting slump. After watching Browning break a bar, Hillerich decided to make his hero one.
It all started with one bat
Bud’s dad had a woodworking shop, and he quickly fashioned a bat from the best white ash they had on hand. Later, maple was added to the process. Fortuitously, the Louisville Slugger slugged three hits with his new bat, and the rest is history. Other players started ordering these “Fall City Sluggers.”
In 1894 Bud copyrighted the name Louisville Slugger and uniquely had the customer’s signature burned onto the bat. This was in addition to Louisville Slugger, burnt in an oval. This led to the first-ever player-bat sponsorship, where Honus Wagner lent his name to bats sold in shops, and received a percentage of sales.
Still slugging after all these years
2 million bats and 139 years on, bats are still being made, despite having to lay off some 170 workers post-Covid. Fortunately, they seem to be back in production and tasked with a series of special commemorative bats. Let’s hope this proud organization can rekindle the slugging and keep swinging for a long time.